1948 Chevrolet Fleetline – Poco Loco

At 75 years young, Chuy Lemos has been into fixing up cars since he was a teenager. He started lowriding back in the era when you lowered your car by putting sandbags in the trunk or cutting the coils on the car. From out of these humble beginnings, Chuy’s first lowrider was a ’37 Oldsmobile, which he got at the age of fourteen. Since those early days, he has gone on to have many different lowriders over the years, and this ’48 Fleetline was one that his wife, Mercy, of 51 years had always wanted.

Chuy found the ’48 in Camarillo, California, in the ’80s and bought it for an astounding $900 dollars. Once it was home he began putting in the long hours it took to restore this vintage beauty and once it was completed all that was left to do was name the vaunted Fleetline.

In 1959, the husband and wife musical duo of Gene and Eunice hit the Billboard charts with their hit song “Poco Loco.” “Poco Loco” translated into English means “A Little Crazy.” Chuy thought the name of the song would be a perfect name for the Fleetline and thus christened it “Poco Loco.” With the restoration completed and the ’48 named, all that was left to do was cruise in it and hit the many car shows and cruise nights in Ventura County and the surrounding areas.

As a young boy, Chuy Lemos grew up in Ventura County, California, in the midst of the Pachuco era. He fondly recalls seeing the Pachuco youth wearing the double-soled shoes and the tapered pants. The style and pride the Pachuco youth had always stayed with Chuy, so when it came time to join a club, there was no other choice than the Pachuco car club. The club is built on the same principles as carried by those Pachuco youth that inspired the name: pride and style.

Chuy and Mercy have no plans on giving up lowriding or parking the Fleetline anytime soon, and recently, Chuy was honored as a lowriding legend in Ventura County. The car is still in excellent shape and with a 33-year-old paintjob, it is still winning at shows. Once they do decide to part with the ’48, it will go to Chuy’s grandson, Michael, who will inherit not only a beautiful car, but a piece of Ventura County lowriding history.

TECH SPECS

“Poco Loco”

Owner: Chuy Lemos

Vehicle: 1948 Chevy Fleetline

City/State: Ventura, California

Club: Pachuco Car Club—Ventura County

Engine: American Engine, in Oxnard, CA, rebuilt the ’54 Chevy 235ci engine and Chuy added some chrome parts to dress it up. The ’54 Chevy transmission was also rebuilt and a dual exhaust system was installed on the forty-eight. All chrome was done by Valley Plating in Ventura, CA.

Body/Paint: Saticoy Auto Body in Saticoy, CA, painted the Fleetline in Lacquer paint and Jimmy painted the fenders in Candy & Pearl paint. The paint on this Fleetline is over 33 years old!

Interior: Art Lopez, from Ventura, CA, covered the interior in Velour fabric with rolls. Chuy added spotlights, fender skirts, and a visor the finish off the Fleetline.

Setup: Chuy installed hydraulics in the front of the Fleetline using 8-inch cylinders and 4-inch blocks. Chuy added air shocks to the rear. The set up consists of one pump, one dump, one solenoid with one switch to bring the front end up and down. Two batteries power the system.

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This 2-day affair in Odessa, Texas, dispensed exceptional rides, remarkable music lineups, plentiful vendors, and the opportunity for fans and car owners to enjoy the weekend bonding with fellow lowriders.